Melon Patch Players stage 'Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks'

LEESBURG — Two lonely people meet when strait-laced Lily hires angry Michael to teach her to dance.

In "Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks," which opens at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17, at the Melon Patch Playhouse, they meet at Lily's waterfront condo in St. Petersburg, they argue, they resolve the difficulty and they dance — six times — in the sentimental comedy by Richard Alfieri.

In the comedy spiced with music and dance, the two characters reveal their secrets, their fears and their joys while learning to overcome their seemingly insurmountable differences.

Director Sandi Wells Moore said the play gave her greater empathy for older people.

"It deals with people's prejudices," she said. "We don't know other people's history. We don't think about it.'

J. Scott Berry, who plays Michael, said he appreciates the show because it throws light on relevant topics, such as growing older, ageism, bullying and isolation.

"Just when it gets serious, it comes out with laugh lines," he said.

Berry said his character, a 45-year-old former Broadway dancer who has moved to Florida to look after his mother, an Alzheimer's patient, is suspicious and fearful.

"Life has done this to him, but he finally finds compassion and humanity," he said.

Mina Kirkland, who plays Lily, said her widowed character is much like herself.

"She is trying to make a life for herself," Kirkland said. "She is trying to find something to do."